Gondola for suspended monorailways



June 1 1926.

L. A. FRYE GONDOLA FOR SUSPENDED MONORAILWAYS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 L. A. FRYE GONDOLA FOR SUSPENDED MONORAILWAYS June 1 I Filed March 5.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 June L. A. F RYE GONDOLA FOR SUSPENDED MONORAILWAYS Filgggarch 5, 19

5 Sheets-Sheet 4 L. A. FRYE GONDOLA FOR SUSPENDED MONORAILWAYS June 1 1.926. 1,586,986

Filed March 5, 1924 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 1, 1926.

LEWIS A. FRYE, 013 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

GONDOLA FOR SUSPENDED MONORAILWAYS.

Application filed March 5, 1924. Serial No. 697,016.

This invention relates to cars for suspended monorail systems, and more particularly to gondolas or relatively shallow, hoppered freight cars for transporting coal or the like.

Since such cars are suspended from trucks on a single rail, it is essential that the center of gravity or mass of each car be normally in vertical alinement with the point of car support, namely, the traction rail. It is therefore desirable that as great a proportion of the car structure as possible be concentrated in planes .of vertical alinement with the direction of force as applied at the center of gravity. Also it is desirable that the elements of the car structure be symmetrically grouped about the center of gravity. To provide a structure having the above mentioned characteristics, I have utilized a central ridge girder extendin longitudinally of the car and have suspended the keel beam from this girder and in vertical alinement therewith by means of tension members. Diagonal cross braces between the girder and keel and etween adjacent tension mer bers strengthen the structure longitudinally and laterally. The structure made up of girder, keel, tension members and diagonal braces, forms av rigid and exceedingly strong central truss for the car, and the resultant force due to the weight of this truss is directed vertically downward from the center of the traction rail.

The main load of the entire car is supported from the central truss where the load stresses and strains may be counteracted to best advantage and this feature I regard as one of the most material advantages gained through my construction.

The frame work of the car is completed by lateral stringers extending from each side of the keel beam, sills carried by the string ers, side and ena rails spaced above the keel by reinforced uprights, and yokes extending from the ridge girder to the side rails. The yoke supports a portion of the weight of the car and also acts with the stringers to laterally stiffen the frame structure to prevent it from weaving or buckling, especially when the car is loaded. By reason of my novel method of t-russing and bracing the frame, I have provided a strong, rigid structure wherein the weight of the individual units making it up may be reduced to a. minimum, a most important feature in connection with mono-rail cars.

I prefer to mount the draft apparatus,

such as couplings and draw bars, at the ends of the ridge beam where the shock of coupling impact and strain of draft may be best absorbed and have the least effect on the structure as a whole. I also provide spring buffers at the ends of the car, and preferably in horizontal alinement with the keel beam, to partially absorb the shock of coupling or collision.

The car box is hoppered and I have provided trap doors in the hopper bottoms whereby the car contents may be conveniently dumped into pits or surface cars beneath. In this connection, I have devised simple and positive means for holding the trap closed against the pressure of the car contents, and quick acting and easily operated means for tripping and re-closing the doors.

To sum up, I have provided a car structure effectively meeting the various peculiar problems incident to mono-rail car require ments, and have so arranged the structural elements that a car of minimum weight will have the requisite strength and rigidity to withstand the wear and tear of constant and hard usage. The various details of construction and assembly as well as additional features of novelty and objects of the invention will be set forth in the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a gondola suspended from suitable trucks on a mono-rail;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary, contracted horizontal section on line 2.2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a slightly enlarged vertical section taken at about line t-t of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section on about the line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section, partially in elevation, showing a modified form of ridge beam and means for attaching av hanger to the beam;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged section on line 77 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged section on line 8-8 of Fig. 1, showing the end of the car body in elevation;

Fig. 9 is a fragmentary top plan view of the keel beam and lateral stringers, a portion of the top flange of the beam being broken away to better illustrate the method employed for tying the beam and stringers together;

Fig. 10 is a section on line 10-10 of Fig.

9, the stringer to the right ofthe keel being shown in elevation;

Fig. 11 is a vertical section on line 1111 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 12-12 of Fig. 2, showing a corner detail of the car structure;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 1313 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged vertical section of the trap door and tripping means shown in Fig. 3, but showing the trap door and operating linkage in changed relative positions; and

Fig. 15 is a vertical section 011 line 15-15 of Fig. ll showing the elements as they appear from this section line when in the dotted line position of Fig. 14.

Throughout the drawings I have illus trated, and in the following specification I will describe, certain methods of joining the various elements of the structure, and have indicated the elements as having certain cross section and shapes, but it is to be understood that the showing and description of such details are not to be construed as limitations on the invention as they are made merely for the purpose of illustrating a single, practicable embodiment of my invention.

In Fig. 1, the numeral 10 designates a suspended girder carrying the U or traction rail 11 upon which the car trucks 12 and 13 ride, the trucks being propelled by such means as motors M. These trucks may be of any suitable design and may be provided in any desired number for each car. The trucks illustrated are especially suited for the purpose as they evenly distribute the load of suspended car C over the traction rail, but the specific type of truck and truck drive utilized in connection with the car is not a part of this invention and therefore is not here described in detail. Trucks 12 and 13 have centrally disposed saddles 1-1 over which are hooked goose-neck hangers 15 that extend to the ridge girder 16 of the car. As shown in Figs. a, 5, and 7, ridge 16 is preferably a box girder made upof channels 17 and cover plates 18. The lower extremity of each hanger has a transverse, rectangular opening of equal inside dimensions with the outside over-all dimensions of the girder, this opening allowing the hanger to be slipped on the girder from the ends thereof during assembly of the car frame. A. snug fit between girder and hanger opening, to-

ether witlrbolts 19 which extend through i'anger and girder channels, fix the hunger in proper relative position on the girder.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated a modified form of ridge girder and hanger attaching means. In this modification, girder 16 is an I-beam and hanger 15 is provided with the lateral chamber 17 to receive the I-beam flanges at one side of the beam web. Bolts 19 are adapted to draw the end of the hanger and complementarily channeled plate 18 into clamping engagement with opposite flanges of the Lbeam, and bolts 19 since they pass through the web of the I-beam, serve to hold the hangers against movement along the girder.

Girder 16 is the upper member of a central truss T which is the main load supporting member of the car, and I will now describe the truss structure. The keel beam 20, preferably an I-beam, is suspended in vertical alinement with ridge 16 by channeled tension members 21; angle irons 22 and 23 forming the connection between the channels, ridge and keel. There may be any desired number of laterally spaced tension members, and extending from the ridge and keel and riveted at opposite ends thereto, are braces 24; which extend diagonally from the bottom of one tension member to the top of the adjacent tension member, the two braces between sets of adjacent tension memers being riveted together at their point of crossing, 25. Braces 2 1 stiffen the truss structure both longitudinally and laterally.

its the main load of the car is to be supported from truss T, I have provided means for tying the major portion of the remaining elements of the car structure to the keel 20. To accomplish this, I secure the inner end of lateral channels or stringers 26 to keel 20 at 2. the top plate of the channel being cut back at 28 and the channel flanges being cut away at 29 to allow the closed ends 30 of the channels to be brought into engagement with the web of beam 20 to receive the connecting rivets (Figs. 9 to 11). There are two stringers 26 in opposed relation on each side of the keel, both being secured to the beam by common rivets 27. The two stringers may be considered together as a single lateral stringer S extending an equal distance from each side of the keel.

The plate and flanges of each stringer S are cut back at 31, as shown in Fig. 10, to receive the flanges of longitudinally extending, channeled sills 32, and the closed ends of the stringers provide end plates 33 which engage and are riveted at 34- to the inner face of keel web 3-5.

Side rails 36, preferably of angle iron, are held above and in spaced relation with sills 32 by yokes 37, while posts 38, preferably of T-cross section, are riveted top and bottom to rails 36 and sills 32, respectively, serving to bind the side structure together. End rails 39 are riveted to side rails 36, and end sills 40 extend between and are riveted to longitudinal sills 32 at 41 (Fig. 8.)

In Figs. 8 and 13 I have shown a preferred method of constructing yokes 37 and of securing them to ridge and side rails. Each yoke is made up of two angle irons arranged back to back and riveted together at 42. At the upper extremity of the yoke, the adjacent legs of the angles are extended and spread to form plates 43 which are riveted to the webs of. ridge beam channel 17 at 44. At the lower extremities of the yoke, the legs of the angles making it up are spread to form horizontal plates 15 bearing on and riveted to side rails 36 at 46 (Figs. 3 and at). Yokes 37 support a portion of the weight of the car and car contents, and also stiffen the framing of the car against side sway, weaving and buckling.

The extremities of ridge beam 16 are extended at 47 beyond the channel ,members 21, as clearly shown in Fig. l, and these extensions carry the draft apparatus generally indicated at 4:8 and which may consist of any suitable type of coupling. It is evident that the force of coupling shock and strains of draft will be absorbed by the ridge beam with a minimum of efi'ect on the other and weaker portions of the structure.

Extending arcuately from and connecting the ends of sills 36 are guards 19, braced to the structure of the car proper by struts 50 which ext-end between and are riveted to end rails and cross brace 51, the latter being riveted to guard 49 which is also centrally spaced from the end or" keel 20 by. compression member 52. Spring buffers 53, incorporated with the guard structure and having heads 54 projecting beyond the guard, partially absorb the shock oi: collision and coupling between cars. Guards 49 may also be utilized for supporting the air line couplings 55, signal lines, etc. for inter-conimunications between cars.

I will now describe the construction and operation of the car hoppers and unloading device. In the drawings, I have illustrated two independent hoppers for each car, but it will be understood it lies within my invention to provide them singly or in greater number. Also, while I have illustrated and will describe a particular form and shape of hopper, I do not wish to be limited thereto. As both hoppers may be of identical construction I will describe but one in detail.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3, at, and 12, I have illustrated the bottom of the hopper as made up of plates 56 and 57. The upper end of plate 56 is riveted at 58 to end rail 39, the plate thence inclining downwardly and inwardly, being supported by spaced. channel cross members secured by angles 60 to uprights 61 which are riveted to sills 32 at 62. The upper end of plate 57 is secured at 63 to a cross member 6-l carried by laterally opposite posts 38, a. t inclines downwardly and towards plate 56, being supported in a manner similar to plate 56. Plate 57, however, stops oil so its lower edge 65 is vertically and laterally spaced from the 'lower edge of plate 56. A trap door 66,

hinged at 67 to plate 57 and extending into engagement with the lower edge of plate 56, serves to normally close the gap between the two bottom plates.

The counter-clockwise or closing movement of door 66 is limited by the contact of the door with the lower edge of plate 56, and also by angle irons 68 which are riveted at 69 to plate 57 and thence inclined downwardly to lower edge of plate 56, at which point they turn upwardly at 71 and follow the top of plate 56 being riveted to plate at 72. Angle irons 68 may also be riveted to side plates 73 which are secured to the keel beam 20 by cover plates 74. The extent of angle irons 68 which span the gap between the two bottom plates 56, 57, serve not only as a stop for door 66 but also to stiffen the bottom plates at their lower extremities.

The hoppers are completed by side plates 75 which extend between and are riveted to side rails 36 and bottom plates 56 and 57; angle irons 76 forming the connection between the side and bottom plates. To finish off the end of the car, end plates 77 extend between and are riveted to end rail 39 and end sills 4:0.

I will now describe the means for normally holding the trap door closed against the pressure of the car contents and against the force of gravity as it acts to swing the door open when the hopper is empty, and also the means employed for manually tripping the holding means. A rod 78 is secured near the lower end of door 66 and, when the door is closed, preferably extends so its longitudinal axis is approximately parallel to bottom plate 56. A rock shaft 79 extends transversely of the car, being j ournaled in sills and keel 20, and is squared or otherwise mutilated at its end 80 to receive a suitable tool, such as a hand crank, whereby the shaft may be oscillated from either side of the car. A crank 81, made up of two arms 8:2 joined at their lower extremities by crank pin 83, is nonrotatively mounted on shaft 79, and a link 8% swings on pin 88 and has a somewhat loose pivotal connection with locking link 86 which is pivotally connected at its opposite end 87 to rod 78. Looking link 86 has a hook projection 89 adapted to hook over shaft 79 when the door is closed, and by reason of this co-action between the laterally fixed rock shaft and hook projection 79, link 86 normally serves to hold the door from be ing swung open or in a clock-wise direction as viewed in Fig. 3. It will also be noted that the end 90 of link 86 is bent downwardly so when the door is closed the pivotal connection 85 lies below the line of centers of pivot 87 and shaft 79 in order that the pull exerted on link 86 by the tendency of door 66 to swing open will not swing link 86 upwardly to release hook 89 from shaft 79.

Connecting crank arms 82 is a stop strap 91 against which link 84: bears. By rocking shaft 79 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1e into the dotted line position of this figure, crank 81 and link 8% lift locking link 86 to relieve hook 89 from shaft 79. As soon as link 86 has been raised suifn ciently to bring pivot point- Sfiabove the line of centers of pivot 87 and shaft 79, the pressure against door 66 is free to swing it open, straightening out the linkage and crank into the position shown by full lines in Fig. l-t. Of course, for a certain period during the initial crank and link movement about shaft 79, crank 81 and link 8 rotate radially as a unit, without changing their relative position with one another, since stop 91 holds link 84- from swinging on pin 83 inwardly towards the crank.

To close the door, shaft 79 is rotated in a clockwise direction, which returns the linkage and door to the position of Fig. 3, the lost motion in pivot allowing the hook end of projection 89 to ride and hook over shaft 79 after the door is completely closed.

Bottom plate 56 is cut away at 92 to allow for link passage and movement, while housing 93 covers a major portion of the linkage but has an opening 9a through which link 86 passes and moves.

It will be noted that by reason of the form and disposition of the two hoppers, the weight of the hopper contents is so distributed that it is best borne by the central truss and goose-neck hanger, and that by having the two hopper doors face to face and relatively close together the car contents may be dumped from either hopper into a relatively small area beneath, which is a feature of great convenience in certain situations. However, while the specific arrangement of hoppers and doors are preferable from the standpoint of load distribution and convenience 'of unloadin I may vary their arrangement as well as making various other changes in the structural frame work of the car without departing from the spirit and scope of invention. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to the specific construction illustrated and described except for such limitations as a fair interpretation of the appended claims import.

- Having described a preferred form of my invention I claim 1. In a framework forsuspended monorail cars, a central truss, car suspension means secured to the truss, lateral load bearing stringers extending from and secured to the truss, and side frames secured to and supported, in main, by attachment to the lateral strin ers, all in a manner whereby stress and strain set up in the side frame and stringers are, in main, transmitted to the central truss.

2. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a central truss, car suspension means secured to the truss, draftapparatus secared to the truss and extending longitudinally in alinement therewith, lateral load bearing stringers extending from and secured to the truss, and side frames secured to and supported, in main, by attachment to the lateral stringers, all in a manner whereby Stress and strain set up in the side frame, draft apparatus and stringers are, in main, transmitted to the central truss.

3. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and beam, and stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam.

4:. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and beam, braces between the girder and beam and extending diagonally between adjacent tension members at their points of meeting with the girder and beam, and stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam.

In a framework for suspended monoail cars, a ridge girder, draft apparatus secured to the girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and beam, and stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam.

6. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and beam, braces between the girder and beam and extending diagonally between adjacent tension members at their points of meeting with the girder and beam, and stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam, said braces being attached together at their points of crossing.

7. In a frame w rk for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and keel in vertical alinement, stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam, sills connecting the ends of the stringers, yokes secured to and depending from the girder, side rails carried by the. yokes, and posts connecting the sills and side rails.

8. In a frame work for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and keel in vertical alinement, stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam, sills connecting the ends of the stringers, yokes secured to and depending from the girder, side rails carried by the yokes, posts connecting the sills and side rails, a guard member extending longitudinally beyond and connecting the sills, a compression member between the beam and guard member, and a spring buffer carried by and extending into operative position beyond the guard member.

9. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and beam,

and stringers secured to and extending laterally from the beam, each stringer comprising two channels arranged in alinement on opposite sides of the beam and having closed ends held in engagement with the sides of the beam.

10. In a suspended mono-rail car, suspension means, a frame work carried by the sus pension means and consisting of a truss extending longitudinally through the center of the car, stringers secured to and extending laterally from the lower part of the truss, sills connecting the ends of the stringers, yokes secured to and depending from the upper part of the truss, side rails carried by the yokes, and end rails connecting the side rails; and a hopper body supported from the frame Work.

11. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a central truss, car suspension means secured to the truss, yokes secured to and depending from the upper part of the truss, and members connecting the lower ends of the truss and yokes.

12. In a framework for suspended 1nono rail cars, a central truss, yokes secured to and depending from the upper part of the truss, and members connecting the lower ends of the truss and yokes.

13. In a framework for suspended monorail cars, a ridge girder, a keel beam, tension members joining the girder and beam, yokes secured to and depending from the girder, and members connecting the lower ends of the yokes to the beam.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 22d 'day of December 1923.

LEIVIS A. FRYE. 

